Never Judge a Book
by Gear-Richie
Summary: A young man suddenly finds himself trapped within the pages of an odd book, with only a mysterious man, four journals, and his wits to help him find the mysterious writer Atrus, possibly hiding in one of four logic defying worlds.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Never judge a book..._

_Author's Note: You do not need to be aquainted with the Myst games or any part of the franchise to understand this story, as it is written in such a way that someone new to Myst would understand. Also, outside of Myst and D'ni, the ages used in this story are original, made up by me alone. This is to keep the story interesting for Myst veterans, and to keep from spoiling the puzzles for those who would play the games in the future. _

He had never read a book quite like this one. As Lance lay on his bed on his stomach, his mind wasn't on how much back and neck pain that position was going to cause. All he could think about was this enthralling book. The odd part was that there was absolutely nothing enthralling about it whatsoever. It didn't even have a plot!

As he turned the page, he realized he'd just read 154 pages describing an island. That was it. All it did was describe one island. Lance couldn't even figure exactly how it had managed to take up so many pages, yet it had. And it was fascinating nonetheless. The beautiful imagery of the trees, the massive clock tower across the small body of water, the strange rocket-ship like vessel that sat on the ground, the submerged pirate ship, everything about this odd island was described in excessive detail in this book, yet it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever read.

Lance turned the final page and read the last bit of the book quietly. "...stretches above all the other trees, more than fifty times the size of the others, its leaves towering over every other structure, man-made or no, on the island." He looked at the clock. He'd been reading that book for an hour, and now he only had half of one to get ready for work. The 18 year-old was about to close the book and move to his feet when his eyes stopped dead on the following page. He slowly turned it to see a picture of the island he'd just read about.  
But the picture was moving. It was like a small movie, taking up a portion of the top half of the page. A flyby movie showing the very island he'd seen in the book. It was exactly how he'd imagined it to look...that was how great the author was who wrote the description. But Lance couldn't get past the shock of a moving, glowing picture inside of his book!  
The book wasn't thick enough to have some kind of small TV in it, despite how powerful technology could be. The page following was completely blank, with no evidence of anything small injected into the page, or between two fused pages. Yet the movie was still there. Unable to focus on anything else, the boy's hand reached out to touch the picture. He placed his hand on the panel, noting how warm it felt to the touch. Then his feet began to tingle. Then his legs started to tingle as well. Soon this strange sensation shot through his entire body as his vision faded into black.

Moments later, a panicked Lance could see again, but it was not his bedroom. As a cool breeze blew past him, he found himself standing on the edge of a dock outside. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, and a few white clouds littered the sky. But that's not what caught his eye. First, to his right, was a massive ship mast. In the water, he could see a huge ship submerged not far beneath the surface. His eyes grew wide as he turned around to confirm. Sure enough, there was a huge tree, probably a hundred stories tall, stretching far above the sea of trees around it. Lance now knew where he was. How he got there was a completely different story. He opened his mouth to say something, as if to confirm he was still alive, awake, and not dreaming. After almost a minute of unsuccessfully trying to get his voice working, he finally said, "Oh, boy," and fell backwards on the wooden planks of the dock, dazed and confused.


	2. Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Traps

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_A tale of two traps_

_Author's note: Those familiar with the Myst franchise, specifically the first three Myst novels, may realize that there were some continuity changes regarding trap/prison books. This was also apparent in the difference between Myst/Riven and the events of Myst IV: Revelation. To that end, I have reconciled the differences my own way. I've also slightly altered the Art for the same reason, trying to repair a few contradictions by myself. Not everything in this story follows continuity exactly…but do enjoy the story anyway._

_85 years earlier..._

"What's the matter, Katran?" the elderly lady asked the young girl. Katran sat before the book in front of her, hesitant to continue. "You've learned from an expert, and your skills are as refined as Atrus. I'm sure Myst will be a very stable world for you to live in.

"How can you be sure, Ti'Ana?" Katran asked, sounding desperate for confirmation. "Gehn thinks he is such an expert at what he does, yet all of his worlds are so...unstable. Even Riven is falling apart." She sighed, thinking of her home and her friends and family who were being forced to flee the age due to one evil man's interference.

"The difference between you two is very simple. Unlike Gehn, you are able to admit your mistakes, and you are able to learn from them as well. Gehn does not own up to his actions, blaming anyone else he can. That's why Riven is unstable. That's why all his ages are unstable. He blames the book, the pen, the ink, even sometimes, the Art itself. But I'm here with you, helping you write this. You can do it. Just take a deep breath and..."

Katran placed pen to paper, drawing the last stroke on the elaborate character. "How much further do we have to go?" she asked, knowing that their time was running out.

"We are about halfway there. We will be done in time for Atrus' return."

_Present day..._

There was nowhere to go but forward. Lance stood to his feet, realizing that this was neither a dream nor a hallucination. This was reality. And instead of sitting on the dock dazed and confused, he needed to explore and find a way out. From what he remembered reading, there were several man-made structures around, including an imaging chamber (whatever that was), a library, and a rocket ship of some sort. The book never described what these places were or what they did, but only that they existed, and where they were. So Lance pushed forward towards a set of stairs.

Before he reached them, an object caught his eye. It was some kind of pedestal with a lever on top. If memory served, the book referred to these as "marker switches," though again, the text failed to reveal their purpose. Flipping the lever up seemed to do nothing. Lance returned the lever to its original position, and found no difference, either. Unsure what he was doing, he left the switch in the "up" position, just in case its purpose would become clear later.

Lance moved forward, following a winding sidewalk up to where what was labeled as a planetarium in the book was located. From what the boy knew, the Library was not far beyond that. He took a step into the grass to cut across towards the planetarium when he nearly slipped forwards, catching himself before he hit the ground. Turning around to see what had almost gotten his neck broken, he reached for a small piece of paper that was now stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

_Catherine,_

_I've left for you a message of utmost importance in our fore-chamber beside the dock. Enter the number of marker switches on this island into the imager to retrieve the message._

_Yours,_

_Atrus_

Lance recognized what Marker Switches were as he stood to his feet, but the fore-chamber puzzled him. He remembered an imaging chamber near the docks was written into the book, but he hadn't seen it when he first arrived. Were these two the same location? Tucking the note into his pocket, Lance began to think about what he wanted to do. He could go to the planetarium...but the library probably had more answers for him. Maybe another magic book that would take him out of here and back home.

The library was just ahead and to his right. The massive building looked a little like the Parthenon, though on a slightly smaller scale. Inside, there was one large bookcase, several framed pictures on the walls, a fireplace, and two pedestals, one with a lone red book, and one with a lone blue one. The walls and floor were all composed of wood, and a large chandelier was hanging overhead, bathing the room in a pretty dim light. It almost appeared that the chandelier was lit on fire, but closer examination showed that the room was being lit by some kind of flame encased inside of a glass sphere. It looked bizarre, but no less than anything else he'd seen on this island.

His attention quickly turned to the red book sitting a couple of yards away. It was a place to start. Reaching for the book, he was surprised that this book, too, had a screen on it. However, the screen itself didn't display any image other than red "TV snow." The same type of noise could be heard emitting from the book as well. Then something about the screen changed. Some kind of movement. "What is that?" Lance asked as he leaned closer.

"Who are you?!" a voice demanded. Lance yelled and stumbled backwards a bit, before returning to the book. His heart was still pounding. But just barely visible on the book's screen was the face of a man, probably in his thirties or so. Something about him looked…refined. Before Lance could answer, the man continued to speak. "I am Sirrus." Static cut in, and Lance could no longer hear the man speaking.

"Hello?" he asked, not sure what more he could really say.

"I can't--I can't see you…" Sirrus managed between interference. "Bring me…ring me a red page."

"Red page?" the boy echoed. "What are you talking about?"

"Can't…page…please bring…" Soon after, the screen went dark.

"Hello?!" Lance yelled out. "Hello! Sirrus?!" he demanded, but the screen remained dark.

Closing the book, Lance's eyes turned to the blue tome on the opposite side of the room. Would it be the same story, so to speak? He walked over and opened the cover, watching the blue static on that book's screen.

"Sirrus?! Is that you…" came the high-pitched man's voice before the static cut in. He was a rather heavyset man, if his face was any indication, and his hair was in desperate need of a cut. The static slightly dispersed. "You…who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Lance!" the boy yelled, trying to scream though the static, hoping the man could hear him.

"I'm Achenar…" the man said before the screen went fuzzy again. Then, "please…bring me a blue page…" the static once again appeared.

_I'm beginning to see a pattern here,_ Lance thought to himself as the screen went dark like the red book's had. Closing the cover, he stopped to think. _Each of them really wanted a page. It had to be the same color as the book itself, too. But why?_

_5 years earlier…_

"Atrus, are you sure this is actually necessary?" Catherine asked her husband as he was bent over his work. "This…whatever it is."

"Catherine, I've explained it already. It's a trap book. It traps whoever touches it in the void between where they are, and where the book would take them."

"But why, Atrus? Isn't this a bit much? Especially when we're the only ones who are able to come to this island?"

"This doesn't explain what happened to the inhabitants of Stoneship, or the damage done to Selentic. Someone is here who shouldn't be, I just know it."

"Atrus…" the woman said, gently massaging his shoulders. "You're being paranoid."

The movement of the woman's hands forced Atrus to put his pen down, lest he make a miss-stroke. "Catherine, the safety of our family and these ages are of the utmost importance. Surely you can see that? That's why we have the places of protection; to protect these works from plunderers like my father."

Catherine thought back to Riven, her old home, and wondered what that evil man was doing there to its inhabitants and environment. "Speaking of Gehn, are we ever going to get him out of Riven?"

"Yes, Catherine," Atrus said with a smile. He lifted the volume he'd been writing. "And this, my love, shall be the key to stopping him for good."

_Present Day…_

The frustration was clearly visible on Lance's face as he sat amongst the massive pile of books around him. He had just spent the past two hours digging through the bookshelf, only to find that half the books were burnt beyond recognition. In fact, only five books still remained. Four of them seemed to be journals, written by an unknown author. In them, they described other worlds, dubbed as "ages," though they were nowhere near as detailed as the book that had brought him to this Island, which turned out to be named "Myst" and they all lacked the miniature TV screens, which the journals had called "linking panels." In one hour, Lance had picked up more terminology for these books than he'd ever cared to know. The journals were not particularly interesting, however, and he only read them because of a thought in the back of his mind that the information would later come in handy. Each of the journals described a different age: Revres, the desolate mechanical wasteland; Asenia, the land of mystical water; Nomentic, described as being "beyond the ages," and Meathenia, the world of no land.

That fifth book, though…that was a wild card. Or a waste of time. Either way, he couldn't really make heads or tails of it. Spanning its 300 pages were 300 sets of randomly patterned squares, as if they were crossword puzzles without clues or numbers. Just randomly placed dark and light squares with no text, and no apparently decipherable meaning.

Lance jumped up, frightened. He'd heard a whooshing sound, for lack of a better way to describe it. It wasn't the wind…it was the exact same sound he'd heard when he first touched the book that brought him to Myst Island. Turning around, he yelped at the sight of an older man, probably in his seventies or so, standing at the entrance to the library. He was dressed in dark colored robes with a large cloak on his back that was a deep blue color. "I see you have met Sirrus and Achenar, no?" he asked in a thick, unidentifiable accent.

"Who are you?!" Lance demanded, not knowing if he was in any danger.

"You must relax. Someone as young as you must not be so high strung. My name is Ka'Tar. I am one of the last remaining of the race of writers, those who can bring books to life, make them portals. I am the last living guildmaster of the D'ni."


	3. Chapter 2: Ka'Tar's Tale

**Chapter 2**

_Ka'Tar's__ Tale_

"Duck-knee?"

The older man seemed to consider Lance's pronunciation before continuing. "Eh, I've heard worse," he said in his thick accent. "Perhaps, for you, it would best you use 'Duh-NEE' to say it."

"Um…okay? So what about all this 'guildmaster' stuff? Someone's been playing too much Donkeys and Doorknobs?" he asked.

Confusion crossed the man's face as he considered this. "I'm afraid I do not know of this game of Donkeys and Doorknobs…though it must be a painful sport, no?"

Lance wanted to scream out in frustration. "Forget that…" he said, his teeth clenched. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The man continued to look confused. "Did I not already tell you who I am?"

Lance had just about had it with this guy. He was either stupid, or just pretending to be. Either way, he seriously didn't want to put up with this right now. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"So young, so high-strung. It is a shame. You are on the island of Myst, a world written by Lady Ti'Ana of the D'ni, and Katran of Riven many years ago."

"I touched a book," Lance said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "I touched a moving picture in a book and it brought me here. How did that happen?" He folded his arms, waiting for an answer. He knew he wasn't dreaming, yet none of this seemed believable to him.

"Do you…always interrupt your elders when they speak?" he asked. Lance rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed was a lecture right now. "Or is this the way of the upper-world?"

"Upper…world?" he asked.

"Allow me to tell you a little story. Long ago, the first writers of the D'ni discovered how to write books and bring them to life. How to turn them into…transport vehicles, as I believe you would say. They would take you from one world to another simply by touching the moving picture on a page."

"Linking panel," Lance confirmed out loud.

"Ah, that is good. You pay much attention to that which you read. Then let me 'cut to the chase' as I believe it is put. Long ago, someone wrote the 'Age of the Earth,' a world of lush grass, sunlight, and water. Those who came to this age found savages on the surface. They were what you called, 'cavemen.' These members of the D'ni moved underground into caverns, building a life in the catacombs that they refined, built, and dug themselves. Soon the D'ni civilization grew huge, but managed to maintain their existence as a secret from those who lived on the surface."

"And it was them who made that book I touched?" Lance asked.

"Yes…somewhat. You see, after the D'ni civilization died—a story for later—the two lone survivors, actually an upper-worlder and her hybrid human-d'ni son, escaped and continued a life on the surface. The woman, Anna, and her son, Gehn, parted ways, Gehn having a son called Atrus."

Lance reached for the paper in his pocket. "Yes, it is the same Atrus that was written on the paper that you found earlier." Lance stopped short, his hand still in his pocket. "I have been watching your activities since you arrived, you need not look so surprised. I had to find out something about you myself. Anyway, if I may continue…Gehn was a very evil man who wanted to misuse our book-writing abilities…our "art" as we call it. His son stopped him, trapping him in another age, and fled here to this island, where he lived with his family. However…something happened.

"Gehn is trapped in a world called Riven, where he is bringing to harm the natural inhabitants. He cannot be stopped at this point. Atrus, and his wife Katran are missing. Their two sons, Sirrus and Achenar, are trapped inside these 'trap books,' which are somewhat of a prison for criminals. I am unfortunately unaware as to exactly why they are confined in there, nor am I able to say the whereabouts of their two missing parents."

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Lance asked.

The old man looked Lance squarely in the eyes, apparently about to say something very important. "Unfortunately, my resources are inadequate at this point to say the least. I am unable to get you back to your home. The book you found that brought you here belonged to Atrus. He was the one who found a way to make the book reach you. That means, in order for you to get home in the same manner…"

"…I have to locate Atrus," Lance said, the realization dawning over him.

The man stopped glaring so hard at Lance. "You have interrupted me again, and even finished my sentence for me when I did not wish it finished. Is this the way of the humans?" He paused a moment, watching Lance stifle back laughter before continuing. "I want you to do something. There is a fore-chamber, or imaging chamber by the dock. Not even three feet from where you were standing when you arrived, just to your left. Touch the silver panel to open the passageway. There will be an imager inside with a message you should hear. Just like the note said, you must enter a number into the machine in order to hear the message. I will save you the time of looking for yourself and tell you that there are eight marker switches on this island. Go there now and listen. I will…how you say… 'touch bases with you later,' once this task has been completed."

For the first time, it came to Lance's attention that there was a book strapped to the man's waist. He opened it and placed a hand on a page without looking, and he vanished, apparently taking the book with him. Lance didn't even have a chance to stop him. Mulling it over in his mind, he decided he would do as the man said. He didn't have much to lose, and if it was his ticket to getting home, he couldn't see what harm it would do. He jumped around in the library, trying to avoid stepping on any of the books he had thrown around in his frantic search for information. Not that even half the books were worth anything anyway in their condition. He bolted from the library, heading for the docks for his first clue to this puzzle.

_Present Day, __Gehn's__ 233__rd__ Age_

Gehn cursed quietly as he sat in his study on his 233rd age, attempting to stabilize the world he'd created. If only he had access to the appropriate materials, he could make these books work. But thanks to his worthless son's interference, these second-rate items were all he had at his disposal. At the rate he was going, he'd never make it back to D'ni to deal out the proper punishment for his son and that insolent whelp of a woman from his 5th age. However, the power needed for him to stabilize these ages simply wasn't anywhere to be found, in the 233rd or the fifth…what was a genius to do with so much incompetence around him?

_Present Day, __Myst__ Island_

There was a small panel on the wall behind Lance, which proved to be a control panel. He input the number _08_ into the device and the panel beeped several times, apparently indicating that the input was successful. He turned around to the center of the room. There sat a large object that looked like a cauldron with a large button on the front. Lance reached for the button, causing the top of the cauldron-like device to flash brightly before displaying the image of an older man, probably in his forties or fifties, with glasses. He began to speak.

_"__Catherine, my love.__ I have to leave quickly. Something terrible has happened. It's hard for me to believe... most of my books have been destroyed. Catherine... it's one of our sons! I suspect __Achenar__, but, I shouldn't leap to conclusions. I'll find him and __Sirrus__ as well.__" _He let out a low, frustrated growl before continuing._"__I should have known better than to have left my library unchecked for so long! Well, I've removed the remaining undamaged books from the library and placed them in the places of protection. You shouldn't have to use the books until I return, but... if you've forgotten the access keys, remember the Tower Rotation. Oh, and don't worry Catherine. Everything will be fine. And erase this message after you've viewed it, just to be safe.__"_

The man's face vanished from view, and the imager returned to looking like a huge boiling pot. Lance turned around, only to be staring face to face with Ka'Tar. "HEY!" he screamed, stumbling backwards, his butt slamming into the button of the pot. The message started to replay, but Lance hit the button again to stop it a few seconds later. "Do you have to sneak around like that?" he demanded.

Ka'Tar ignored the hot-headed young man and began to speak. "You already knew that our books were very important. Atrus, the man for whom you search, believes that his precious books were destroyed by one of the two men you met earlier, Sirrus and Achenar. They are both trapped in those books, and one of them knows the key to getting you home, it would seem.

"The books were created to break themselves apart page by page until the image could not be seen anymore once someone entered them. You must search the four ages I presume you read about for the red and blue pages that you need to gather the information."

"Why don't you do it?" Lance asked. "You seem to know your way around these places a little better."

The old man sighed. "If only I could, young one. But I am far too old for these adventures…and there are certain rules that tie my hands."

"Rules? What…"

"Listen carefully," Ka'Tar interrupted. "Go down to the clock tower at the south end of the island. Change the clock time to 2:40 and enter the clock. From there, you must alter the inside of the clock to read 255."

"What are you talking about?" Lance demanded.

"My time is up for now. I will return when you have completed these tasks." He barely got those words out before he vanished once again. Lance, in frustration, hit the wall next to him before looking back up the massive stairway he'd descended to get into this imaging chamber. There was only one way to go now…up.


	4. Chapter 3: Revres

**Chapter 3**

_Revres_

Lance stood before the giant clock. At first, he had wondered how you would change the time on a massive, old clock tower separated from the island by a significant amount of water. The tower itself was about four stories tall, and the clock read twelve, though noon or midnight, it didn't specify. It was obviously broken, however. His watch read 1617 hours.

Of course, the answer came quickly. Just to his left was a metal box with two wheels, like water valve-style wheels, and a red button. After messing with it, it didn't take long to figure out that the large wheel controlled the minute hand on the clock's massive face, and the smaller wheel controlled the hour hand. After a few turns, he managed to get the face to read 2:40. "That was easy," he remarked, reaching for the red button.

What sounded like a buzzing alarm clock could be heard, and Lance watched the water that separated him from the clock shift. Several small gears emerged through the surface, creating a walkway that led straight to the clock. "Dang," he remarked. "Wish my house had this kind of security."

He crossed to a door which led into the clock, but stopped short when he noticed a marker switch to his left. Reaching for it, he flipped the switch upwards, though still nothing happened. With a slight shake of his head, he let it be and entered the clock.

The large timekeeper seemed much smaller on the inside than it did from the outside. The inside of the clock was simply one room, the walls lined with gears, levers, and three rotating wheels that displayed a single digit on each. There were two levers in front of him, one to each side, that hung from the ceiling. Directly in front of Lance, there were two small gears, one on its side, and one sitting straight up. They were not connected to anything, but seemed to be more of a display. But they seemed familiar. Where had he seen those before?

Lance reached for the lever on the left, yanking it down. The top two wheels turned together, causing the display to read 221. Then he pulled the lever on the right, the bottom two wheels spinning, making the display read 232. This went on for about ten minutes until Lance started to seriously get angry. Despite his best efforts, he could not make the number read 255. He finally yanked down on the left lever and held it there, only to be surprised when both wheels turned once, then the second one kept spinning for as long as he held it down. The boy wanted to slap himself in the head for not realizing it sooner as he quickly got 255 to display on the wheels.

No sooner had he solved the puzzle that he heard a grinding noise. The two gears in front of him seemed to move, then rotate. The gear standing up turned until it revealed that it was only a ¾ of a gear, with an opening that had been hidden beneath the display. Lance cocked an eyebrow as he examined the display, trying to figure out exactly what he'd done. Seconds later, he realized it; when he first arrived, there were two massive gears on top of a hill that looked just like those. He dashed out of the clock, crossed the island, and climbed up the stairs on the side of the hill.

Sure enough, there it was. The larger gear was turned on its side, and in the cut out portion, there was a book. Was this it?! Was this the book he'd been waiting for? He reached for it and opened.

No. This wasn't going to take him back to Earth. The display on the linking panel was one of a wasteland-like place, with gears, springs, and other mechanical parts sticking out of various places in the ground. The age seemed to revolve around one building, a massive, circular, steel structure that reflected the eerie red hue of the sky.

"Before you go in there," Ka'Tar's familiar accent rang out, "I have something to tell you that you should know."

_10 years earlier…_

"Why do you suppose Father has not taught us The Art?" Achenar asked of his older brother as they wandered through the Selentic Age. "Surely we could create better worlds than this?" His high-pitched squealy voice irritated Sirrus, who answered quickly to shut him up.

"That's just it, Achenar," he started. "Father doesn't know whether to trust us or not because of your bumbling."

"Me?! Why me?!" he demanded.

Sirrus sighed as they passed a large clock tower, not unlike the one on the Island of Myst. "Because you think that the Art creates worlds. What our dear father was trying to teach us all these years is that we don't create worlds; we simply link to the worlds that already exist. Still…" his voice took a darker tone. "There could be a way to _make_ him teach us." He let the sentence hang, allowing his meaning to sink in. Achenar shot a sideways glance at his brother, wondering just what it was he meant.

_Present Day…_

Lance set the book down and turned to face Ka'Tar. "Look, I wish you'd give information to me in bigger chunks," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you coming with me?"

"No. I cannot."

Lance cocked an eyebrow. "Cannot? Or will not?" he said, echoing a movie he once saw.

"It is both. The laws of my people. But that is not the problem. You are more than capable of figuring this out for yourself. I will be waiting here for your return. However, you need to know something before you leave." He paused a moment, then continued. "This is The Age of Revres, one of Atrus' works. This is one of the four you will have to flush out here on Myst. Each of these ages contain one red page, and one blue page. Hidden within each age as well, is a link back to Myst Island. But, it is hidden. You will be trapped in each of these ages until you are able to locate the hidden Myst book."

"Are you demented?" Lance demanded, losing his patience. "Why are they hidden?"

Ka'Tar sighed. "Atrus' works are very important to him. His home, this island, is even more so because he worries to protect his family. He hides his books to keep this age, the age of Myst, safe. It is risky that you may not find the book, however, it is your only chance at returning to your home. You may get stuck in Revres, but if you don't go, you will surely be stuck here on Myst. Either way, you are risking your freedom. At least in Revres, you have a chance."

"I don't understand something. How are these pages going to help me get home?"

Ka'Tar looked behind him towards the library. "One of the brothers, either Sirrus or Achenar, knows the location of their father. You must use these pages as leverage, as they spell out their freedom. Get the guilty one to tell you where he hid Atrus, and get in contact with him. He should be able to assist you in getting home."

Lance looked surprised. "Should?" he echoed.

Ka'Tar nodded. "Should."

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. "That's just perfect. I'm looking for a guy who _might_ be able to get me out of a mess he got me into in the first place. Meanwhile, I'm _still_ waiting to wake up from this…" He looked up to find Ka'Tar gone. "…nightmare." He turned around to look at the book, which had Revres engraved on the front cover and spine. Picking it up, he opened it, gave the linking panel one more look, before finally touching it and feeling the universe disappear around him.

_85 years earlier…_

Lady Ti'Ana grabbed Katran's hand. "Nonono, don't do that," she said.

"What?" she asked, somewhat frightened.

"You cannot write man-made objects into an age. It never comes out as it should. You must physically build a house in the age, then allow the house to _write itself_ into the book."

Katran was very confused now. "What? How does a house write itself into a book?"

Ti'Ana thought a moment, then said, "Dear Katran…there are some questions that just can't be answered. But let me give you an example. My husband, before he died…once wrote an age called "Stoneship." Now Stoneship was a very beautiful age indeed, but Atrus, a young writer at the time, made the mistake of trying to write an old pirate ship into the age. Something he could use to explore the world. When he linked to the age, the ship he'd tried to write in was split in half by a massive stone that rose out of the water. The ship was neither stable, nor navigable, but rather became part of the scenery of the age. A similar age, Selentic, had problems with a certain clock tower that was written in."

Katran nodded, understanding somewhat. "Okay, no man-made objects." She turned back to her work and added a few extra characters before turning back to Ti'Ana. "Is this acceptable?"

Ti'Ana nodded. "Yes, but I would suggest being more descriptive about that tree. Use some of the more descriptive words that Gehn told you were useless. They are actually the backbone of the art, not that he would know."


	5. Atrus' Journal: The age of Revres

**Atrus' Journal: Revres**

_Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay (if anyone actually reads this story). Until I get done with the next chapter, I hope this little tidbit from Atrus' journal on Lance's first stop will keep you busy for a while. I'm deploying to Iraq, so I've been a bit busy...but I'm making progress, so thanks for your patience._

22.7.4  
When I first entered this age, my first reaction was to leave right away. The environment, desolate as it was, seemed so uninviting, that I thought no one could possibly live here.  
But I'd soon met the inhabitants of Gehn's 163rd age: the citizens of what they called "Revres." (Just like my father to ignore the ways of "his" ages.) These Revresites looked just as human as I do, and did not have that D'ni sensitivity to light that I was born with. Could they have been human? But no, that silly thought was quickly expunged from my mind. What human could write like the D'ni, anyway?  
The Revresites lived in what appeared to be a massive domed city composed of metal and glass. It was very stable looking, and took some time to get to from the vast ocean of sand. I wondered if this was all there was, or if there were other cities like this one. A special passcode on the dome itself proved to be a form of security specifically designed to keep Gehn out of their civilized area, and it was actually effective. (That would explain why the man abandoned the age in the first place; he can't stand to be outwitted by anyone.) Once inside, I was dumbfounded by what I saw.  
These people were plain and simple geniuses. They built domed cities in barren wastelands, allowing them to grow food, purify water, and live in temperate comfort, despite the harsh conditions outside. The architecture itself is beautiful, possibly even surpassing the D'ni.  
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that these windows were actually composed of two separate translucent crystal panels, with a small amount of space in between. I asked Caamen, my guide, about them and I noticed him grin slightly. He walked up to a large stage-like area, possibly a podium for giving speeches or otherwise entertainment, and pressed a button. To my surprise, water began to shoot between the panels, an effect that seemed to travel all the way down the dome! Then color-changing lights illuminated the water, creating a beautiful water-show effect! It was fantastic, and Caamen watched with amusement as I stood mesmerized by the scene.  
The food is excellent, I'm told, but it smells too putrid for me. Laughter erupted at dinner when I cringed at the smell of the small animal they had served. The Revresites, Caamen explained, did not have a very sensitive sense of smell, and so none of the people at the table other than myself could smell the disgusting animal they were serving. They say it tasted quite good, but I could not bring myself to eat it (and not for a lack of trying, either)  
Their living spaces seemed to defy physics: I could have sworn they weren't this large from the outside...not even half as large. Yet this space was large enough to comfortably house myself, Catherine, and little Sirrus, with room to spare! Each room had a bed of sorts, which more or less consisted of a firm pad that folded out from the wall, and sat out suspended in the air by its two points of contact with the walls. The carpets changed color with the touch of a computer panel, and the lighting striking the walls changed their colors, too, in the same way. I had to admit, even the home we have on Myst pales in comparison to this┘

Lance continued to flip through the book only to find that several years worth of journal entries were burned out by the fire that had apparently taken out the rest of the books. The next readable page, he deduced, was written several years later.

29.8.16  
I have visted with the Revresites for some time now, and they have allowed me to use their age as a training age for Sirrus and Achenar. Each boy will receive his own room, and they will study how the age looks and feels, comparing that to the text of the linking book that wrote into the age. I will leave the boys to their studies under the care of my friend Caamen...unfortunately I can not be there, as I must return to D'ni to find Catherine who has gone missing, it seems...

30.8.17  
This is terrible! I swear I was not gone that long, yet every single Revresite is dead or dying! I couldn't believe...I couldn't have known! I still have no idea what caused this, but...it's some kind of disease. I found evidence...a very suspicious piece of evidence. I can't prove it yet, but I think there may be someone who did this intentionally. Could there be an intruder on Myst Island?

I will have to send all the bodies to the Cremation age, but I'll need the help of the other D'ni. Actually, let me rephrase that. I need the other D'ni to do it for me. Unfortunately, I cannot stay and help. I must return to D'ni...as if losing Catherine wasn't enough, now Achenar has gone missing...but I will send Caamen's body myself, and pray that I find the answer to this soon before anyone else dies or disappears.


	6. Chapter 4: Sirrus' Secret

Chapter 4

_Sirrus' Secret_

The dust was awful. Lance covered his face as a cold wind fiercely blew against him, sending dirt and sand in his eyes, and goose bumps down his arms. The pale brown landscape was only outdone by the pale grey sky that sent shivers down the boy's spine. _This is an age?_ he thought, looking around. _Myst doesn't look anything like this._ Compared to the perfect, beautiful age of Myst, this place was…a dump, for lack of a better term. Endless desert in all directions it seemed…why would someone write an age like this?

Lance finally turned around to see a massive dome-shaped structure standing tall behind him. It had be at least 30 stories tall, he figured, and was the same pale brown color as the sand that surrounded it, though it was obviously made of metal. Lance could imagine, from a distance, mistaking it for just a sand dune. If this structure was the civilization Atrus talked about in his journal, then the color must have been a defense mechanism…but against what?

Lance eyed the control panel as he walked up to the dome. If those pages Sirrus and Achenar were talking about would be anywhere, they'd be inside this dome. Otherwise, they were lost forever in the sand and wind. Lance sighed worriedly as he thought about that possibility. He didn't want to be stuck there forever.

The control panel had several buttons on it, each one a symbol he didn't recognize. But he recalled that Atrus' journal had the code to enter written on a diagram of the panel. But, as luck would have it, Lance didn't bring Atrus' journal with him, and he couldn't remember what the code was very clearly. He was sure the middle button was first, but was it the bottom right or the top right button next?

Lance was on the verge of giving up after several minutes of fumbling with the controls before finally finding the correct five digit sequence. He breathed a sigh of relief as a portion of the dome opened up to reveal a small entrance into the dome itself. More than happy to be out of this sand, he darted into the building and slammed on the button inside that shut the door behind him. Coughing up the last remnants of the sand in his lungs, he stopped to take a look around, and was amazed by the sight.

From the outside, the dome looked like a large stone structure sitting in the sand. But from the inside, all the walls were transparent windows, and Lance could see the sandstorm outside against the grayish sky. The inside of the dome itself was also a sight to behold. The area in front of him had a huge fountain surrounded by several benches, obviously some kind of park-like area for recreation. The fountain was shaped like some kind of bird-like creature, though it didn't look like any he'd ever seen. Its wings were spread wide, and its two beaks…yes, two beaks…were aimed high, probably both used to shoot water back before the incident.

Lance's mind wandered back to that. What caused that incident, he wondered. Atrus said he found everyone dead upon his return to the age, and Achenar went missing around that time. The journal never picked up after that. Looking around, it was obvious that the bodies were sent to said "cremation age," as there weren't any signs of corpses. No blood, either. In fact, the entire place was spotless, like it had been very recently cleaned.

_I hope it wasn't all _too_ recently cleaned,_ Lance thought to himself as he continued forward. The last thing he needed was to run into some crazed biological warfare freak who killed off all the Revresites, or Revresinians, or whatever they were called.

Starting up ahead of him was a set of stairs that spiraled up and around the dome. Along the way, there were doors…but the doors themselves only stood out a few inches from the dome, so there was no way they could lead anywhere. But what was their purpose? As he started trudging up the stairs, he stopped to look into one of the doors.

There was a full room in there. Large enough to accommodate a few people. Lance was very confused by this, and he stopped to look out the window just next to the room's door. There was not space for the room jutting out of the dome. So, essentially, the room existed in space that didn't exist. He didn't know why this surprised him. Nothing ever seemed to follow the laws of physics, or any other law for that matter in these ages. After all, he had just traveled here through a book, of all things.

Lance thought to explore the room, but he decided not to. Sirrus and Achenar had rooms, he figured, so he would continue to climb the stairs until he could find some kind of indication of where theirs were. If they were guests, there would be a good chance, he figured, that their names or some kind of indicator would be on their doors.

He was right. The name "Sirrus" appeared written across the top of a door that was also draped with a very elegant red tapestry with abstract designs. A short ways upward, he found a door painted blue with the name "Achenar" written on it. Between the books and the doors, he didn't have a hard time determining the men's favorite colors…wait, did they _choose_ the color of their prison books?

Of course, it was a moot point, so he shook his head and moved on. As he entered Sirrus' room, he found himself getting a little nervous. The dead silence in the place was unnerving, to say the least. He started talking to himself to alleviate the silence.

"This place is really decked out," he said as he looked about the room. The walls were all covered in dark red tapestries, and there were several dressers there, each with little knickknacks deliberately placed on top. There were model ships, gold coins, an assortment of beautifully cut crystals, possibly diamonds, and even a few engraved knives, though the engravings were impossible to read being in a language Lance had never seen before. Setting the knife back down, his attention was drawn towards the bed in the middle of the room. It had a wooden frame with curtains hanging down (red, of course) and elegant carvings engraved in the frame. Pulling back the curtains tentatively, he saw the dark red blanket pulled perfectly over the rest of the bed. "His mom must have taught him well," he commented to himself. Placing a hand on the bed and pushing down, the bed was extremely soft, and was probably very comfortable. Stifling a yawn, Lance continued, knowing that somewhere around here there had to be that red page for which he had been searching, despite the temptation to stop for a nap.

He was about to walk away when something caught his eye beneath the bed. "What's this?" he asked as he knelt down. There were two drawers built into the bed frame, both wooden with gold knobs. He pulled out the one on the right very slowly, half-expecting a severed head to be inside. But no such thing. Rather, he found a note lying inside. Or…actually, half a note. It had been torn right down the middle it seemed, and from reading what little he had there, he could not figure out what it was trying to say.

The marker switc  
easily opened if th  
followed. Place al  
in the "up" positio  
however, after thi  
must be returned t  
This will cause th  
and the final key w

From what he gathered, there was something that could be opened using those marker switches on Myst Island that were everywhere, but seemingly useless. "So, I lift all the levers on them, and then…what?" He reached for the other drawer in the vain hope that the other half was inside. It wasn't there, though. And no severed head, either. But there was a massive pile of gold coins, each engraved with the face of someone who appeared to be a king. The drawer was all but overflowing with these, and Lance couldn't help but pocket one of them. "No one will notice," he said. It wasn't greed, but…where did Sirrus get these? Something in his gut told him to take just one, like there was some significance behind them, and he'd need to figure that out later.

Lance stood up and walked over to one of the dressers and opened the top drawer. More coins. He certainly had a lot. Closing that drawer, he opened the second one to find a folded up flag. It was white, and when he unfolded it, the image of the king from the coins was on it. "Is he some kind of collector?" Closing that drawer, he went on to the third drawer. A long, curved sword sat sheathed inside. He couldn't resist picking it up and unsheathing it. The long, shiny blade was engraved with more words he couldn't read. He swung it around a little bit; it was actually a lot lighter than it looked, and he could swing it easily with only one hand. He replaced the sword in its sheath and returned it to the drawer, shutting it. The fourth drawer contained more coins, still. And the final drawer on the bottom…contained a linking book. Lance opened it to the linking panel page to see a massive ocean flyby movie, until it came up to a large ship…destroyed. Lance wanted to vomit when he saw the decaying bodies all over the deck of the ship. The mast was broken and had fallen off, and the deck was littered with several treasure chests…all empty. Lance slowly pulled the coin out of his pocket and looked at it. "Did…Sirrus do this?" he wondered, picturing the man's distorted face from the book he was seemingly imprisoned in. Lance closed the book, obviously having no intention of entering, but as he did so, a red piece of paper slid out of it and fell to the floor. Lance's face brightened for a few seconds as he realized this was the red page he'd been looking for all this time.

_Four years ago…_

Atrus picked up the dying man and placed him on the bed. The ship swayed back and forth, putting Atrus slightly off balance, and he ended up falling forward, his arms supporting him on the mattress where the ship's captain now lay. "Otis! Who did this to you?" Atrus demanded, hoping to find the culprit behind all that had been happening.

The man coughed up blood, and tried to choke out an answer. "G-Greed…"

"What?" Atrus asked, confused. "Please, try to hang on just a little…"

Gone.


	7. Chapter 5: The Fragrance of Victory

**Chapter 5**

_The Fragrance of Victory_

Next stop was Achenar's room next door. Lance was a little afraid of wrinkling the page up, so he set it down on top of the dresser in Sirrus' room. Once he found Achenar's page, he'd set it down there, too, and start searching for the Myst linking book.

Lance walked next door and turned the knob for Achenar's room. The moment he cracked door with a slight pull, he was thrown back against the railing of the stairway, covering his face in sheer pain. The smell! This horrible stench had just slammed into him, and his nose was burning from it. "What was that?!" he demanded through a scream as he frantically slammed the door shut and dashed halfway back down the stairs. He was gasping for air, and suddenly began to realize just how much nicer it was _outside_ than it was in that room. "Did something die in there?!" he said, soon realizing that it was a definite possibility.

Lance began to think about his situation. Did he _really_ want to go in there? Did he _need_ that blue page? His answers were no and yes respectively, and with a sigh and a shudder, he trudged back upstairs to the door.

Just outside the door, the stench had mostly dissipated into the air in the massive dome. Lance gripped the handle with his left hand, held his nose with his right, took a deep breath and held it, then yanked the door back and rushed in.

His bravado didn't last long, however. A two-foot tall chicken-like creature darted out from underneath Achenar's poorly-made bed and slammed directly into Lance's legs, tripping him with unforeseen force and knocking the wind out of him as he landed on his stomach. He instinctively took a sharp breath in, choked, almost vomited (he hadn't eaten in a while), and dashed out the door, slamming it behind him, this time running _all the way_ down the stairs, and heading straight to the dried-up fountain and plopping down on the benches. He was finally starting to calm down when the "chicken" ran right by him, spreading more of the unbearable smell. He choked and ran outside into the sandstorm, letting the door slam behind him. Between coughs, he said to himself, "I think I found the nasty dinner animal," in reference to Atrus' journal.

But soon, the choking from the sandstorm became too much, and Lance quickly punched in the code for the keypad and ran inside only to find that the "chicken" had stunk up the _entire_ dome. He wanted to break down from lack of fresh air anywhere in this age, but proceeded to dart up the stairs, run straight into Achenar's room, tear every compartment to pieces, find a Myst linking book underneath his mattress, find the blue page in the bottom drawer of his dresser, and run back to Sirrus' room where the smell was virtually gone, thanks to the airtight seal around the doors. With a breath of relief, he picked up the red page and slammed his hand on the Myst linking panel, and felt himself get transported away.

_15 years ago_

"Achenar!" Atrus scolded. "Do you ever clean your room?!"

Achenar started to giggle. He didn't know why he was giggling, but he was just the same. Atrus had apparently gotten used to this strange habit of his, as he no longer said anything of it. "Father…hehe…I don't know where the smell is coming from…haha!"

Atrus pushed his glasses up on his nose and growled before Catherine spoke. "I'll tell you where that smell is coming from! Those disgusting socks underneath your bed! Clean your clothes, Achenar!"

Father and Mother stormed from the room, and Achenar closed the door behind them. He then crept over to his closet and opened it, revealing the small, disgusting-smelling bioyardo with its head cocked to one side, curious. Achenar reached out and pet the little creature with more giggling. "Hehehehe…you're gonna be okay, little Atrus! Hehehehehe!"

_Present Day_

"I never had any doubts about your abilities," Ka'Tar said as Lance emerged.

Lance jumped and stumbled backwards, almost falling over the ledge on which the large gears stood. "Don't do that!" he ordered angrily as he collected himself and stepped forward.

"You have found both the red and blue pages. You will need five of each in all to be able to offer freedom to either brother."

Lance cocked an eyebrow. "Five? You said there were only four ages."

"Yes, that is true," the old man said, rubbing his facial stubble, "but there is one of each page hidden on Myst Island itself."

Lance thought back to the half-torn note he found in Sirrus' room, and wondered if that was the "key" to which it referred. "So why didn't you tell me about those first _before_ I went to this age? Wouldn't it have been quicker?"

Ka'Tar shook his head. "There is a vault on this island, created by Atrus. Only his family knows how to open that lock. That is something you will have to learn from Sirrus or Achenar."

Lance had gotten far past the point of exasperation by now, so he didn't offer too much of a reaction. "Okay, then. What's the next age, and where can I find it?"

Ka'Tar shook his head. "No, there is yet another task to accomplish before you can continue."

Lance threw his hands in the air. "Yeah, great. Of course there's another task. Why wouldn't there be?"

"You must eat."

"Of course I must eat. Why wouldn't—eh?"

"You cannot continue like this," Ka'Tar said. "You haven't eaten in the half-day you've spent here, and to be perfectly honest, you are getting even grouchier than you were upon your first arrival."

Lance said nothing, just rubbed the back of his head.

"Go to the library. After adding your two pages to the two books there, find the painting on the wall of a bookcase and touch it. I believe you will figure out what to do next. Just remember that your target is downstairs." With that, Ka'Tar touched his chest and warped away.

_43 years ago…_

Gehn sat in his study, contemplating his situation. He'd already been here for years, and as he fingered the lock on one of his desk drawers, he couldn't help but wonder how long he'd be stuck here. With him locked in among the Rivenese, surely Katran would want to do away with him. And as easily swayed as that fool of a son was, he could be certain that sooner or later they would try something.

At this point, though, it was merely a waiting game. But he would beat them to the punch. Gehn pulled the final lever on his combination lock and pulled out a thick tome, quill pen, and inkwell. He opened it up to the last used page and began to write. Soon he'd be out of there, and he'd be able to wipe them both out.

_Present Day…_

"Why am I not surprised?" Lance mused out loud as he stepped into the hallway. Touching the painting had proven to be a trigger for a secret passageway, causing the bookcase to slide backwards and down into three small steps that led up to a passageway behind the bookcase. As he walked, he continued to think about it. "I'm in a book. Of course there's going to be a secret passageway behind the bookcase."

His thoughts drifted to Sirrus and Achenar. The connection between them was still very faded, but he managed to confirm their names, and their need for more pages. Outside of that, they had faded away before he could get any real information. Irritating, Lance decided as he reached the end of the hall. There was a gate here, and when he opened it, he found it to be the entrance to a small, cylindrical elevator. Inside, there were two buttons. As he shut the door, he hit the arrow button that pointed down, and the lights immediately shut off in the elevator. A chill ran down his spine as he was lowered beneath the library. When hit finally stopped, the light came back on, and Lance pulled the door back open to reveal yet another hallway.

After walking for a few seconds, he came into a perpendicular hallway that lead to three separate rooms. One of the rooms, he could tell, was painted in a dark green. On the other end of the hall, there was one red, and one blue room. Lance didn't even have to feign guessing whose rooms those were. So was the one on the far left of him Atrus' room?

The room was painted a dark green, rather elegant looking, and consisted of one huge bed, a dresser, mirror, a large bookshelf littered with books, and another door in the far corner. Lance's first action was to attack the bookshelf and see what he could find. Maybe a book that would take him back home…

"Don't waste your time," a familiar, thickly-accented voice rang out from behind him. Lance turned around to see Ka'Tar standing there. "There is nothing on that bookshelf that will be of any use to you. Simply a few books to other ages, and mostly journals unrelated to your journey."

"So where do _you_ live?" he asked, gesturing to the hallway he'd come from.

"Not here. I am merely a friend of the family, living in my own age. But this is diverting from the topic. The door behind me leads to their food storage area. Once you are finished, head back to the ground floor and towards the large clock tower. Make sure to touch the painting of the open door before you try to leave the library. When you get to the clock tower, start walking to your left, then take another left a little bit after that. You will find a little log cabin. To the right of that, you will see a large tree. I will meet with you there."

He touched his chest and vanished. "Wait…I thought…" Wasn't he using a book strapped to his hip before? How was he linking by touching his chest?

_One year ago…_

"Spire?" Sirrus asked.

"Hehe…Haven…hehehe…" Achenar giggled

Atrus shook his head. "Those aren't training ages, boys," he said. "They're strictly off-limits. I don't want either of you to even touch those books." He placed each on a pedestal in the library. "These aren't ordinary ages."

"What do you mean, Father?" Sirrus asked in his usual silky tone.

"That's not for you to worry about," Atrus said. "For the moment, I want you to continue your training. Bundle up and head for Rhime. I'll meet you there soon. For the moment…" He looked towards the far wall near the fireplace. "I have other matters to attend to."

_Present Day_

"I trust you have noticed the tree's compartment?" Ka'Tar asked as Lance stared up at the massive tree…the tree that moved…

"How is this…" Lance started but couldn't finish. The tree, every few seconds, seemed to get shorter. It was sliding into the ground.

"It is a security mechanism," Ka'Tar explained. "One of the ways Atrus secured his most precious ages, similar to the manner in which he protected Revres in that large gear."

Lance again found himself wondering where one could get security like this for their own home. "So, the next age is in there? Which one is it?"

Ka'Tar seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I wish there was an easier way for me to bring you into this, but…ages tend to defy logic, by nature…but there are some that defy the very laws of physics that most upper-worlders hold most dear."

"So you're saying this age is going to be really weird," he mused out loud.

"That is precisely what I am saying. This age is called Asenia. While I could tell you about its logic defying properties, you should turn around and look."

Lance turned around to the tree once again only to see a carved out compartment in the tree, large enough to fit a person. "I suggest you get in," Ka'Tar said. Lance hesitated for only a moment, then ran into the compartment before it sank underground. "Remember," Ka'Tar called out. "Breathe!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lance demanded, but he was already underground. A room had been carved out under here, and on a table lay a book marked "Asenia." He opened up to the linking panel only to see a blue display with no features. "Great," he muttered. "Now I _really_ have no idea what I'm getting myself into." He reached out for the panel reluctantly and vanished.


	8. Catherine's Journal: The age of Asenia

**Catherine's Journal**

_Asenia _

_A/N: All the "journal" chapters take place during the first chapter, right before Ka'Tar first speaks to Lance. The italicized portions, other than the numbering of the journal entries, describes Lance's actions and thoughts during this time._

_Entry one_

Atrus seems so engaged in what he's doing lately. With all these renovations to Myst Island, it's a wonder he hasn't already worked himself into an early grave. Today I'll start my big project. Without Atrus' help, I will write an age. An age for resting of immense beauty, and I want to break every law of physics there is. I will definitely have to sit back and brainstorm about this one.

_Entry two_

I never thought I would say this, but Atrus' habit of ignoring me is somewhat of a blessing at this point. He's so wrapped up in what he's building on the island, he has no idea I've started writing this age. Surely he would think that it was a terrible idea, that I might mess up, or don't have the experience, or I would need his help. But if he helped, he'd simply turn the entire age into some kind of studying age where he could further his "pursuit of the truth through science and experimentation" as he tends to say ad nauseum.

_Entry three_

It's been two months since I last wrote an entry, but the most amazing thing happened: I'm having a baby! I'm so excited about it. We've decided on Sirrus if it's a boy, and either Yeesha or Ti'Ana if it's a girl. Atrus is excited too…I think. It's getting harder and harder to read him these days. Meanwhile, my age is coming along well. Pretty soon, I should be able to do a test of it to determine just how stable it is.

_Entry four_

Before I test the age out, I decided to start writing down some notes about it, and how it came to be. Asenia, as I've named it, is a world covered in water with no land other than the sea floor itself. But the tricky part, which is the most fun, of course, is the fact that this water is no ordinary water. First of all, it is completely clear. Even if one goes to the very bottom of the ocean there, they can see just as clearly as they can if they were near the surface. The water itself also has some very unique properties. A person's thoughts can ma—ter to be—at incred—s.

_Lance thumbed through several pages, but the burning of the book was too extensive to make out. He set the book down and had to think about it a bit. Someone didn't want this information getting out. There could be no other reason why they would want to burn all these books. Who did this?_

_Finally, at the very end of the book, the final page remained undamaged enough to read._

Atrus didn't. That's what got me concerned. When I entered the age, I found something truly frightening: a Riven linking book. Gehn somehow managed to place one there, and is trying to lure Atrus back into his nightmare. Well, I'm not going to let that happen. Tomorrow, while Atrus is busy stabilizing the main Riven book, I'll have to link in and take care of this problem myself. I can't risk letting Atrus get involved. But I'll leave this book on the main library bookshelf. Heaven forbid I do not return, the information will be there for him to know just what happened.

_Lance had to wonder just who wrote all this. It sounded like Atrus' wife…Catherine, wasn't it? She wrote ages, too? It sounded like she wrote hers…unconventionally._


End file.
